In A World of Fluffy Marketing, Here’s How to Stand Out

What are you asking potential buyers to believe?

Imagine you’re walking down the street, carrying a brown box. You need to sell the thing that’s inside.

You walk up to everyone you pass, offer them the closed box, and ask them to stick their hand in to check it out and see whether they want it.

How many takers do you think you’ll get?

I mean, would you stick your hand in a random box someone is carrying down the street?

I’m guessing you wouldn’t.

Which brings us to your marketing…

How much trust and goodwill are you asking for from your prospects? Are you walking down the street, saying “we’ve got the best customer service inside,” or “this box holds the best product you’ll ever get”?

If so, you’ve got a problem. You’re asking buyers to take a big leap of faith without any proof that they’re not going to regret sticking their hand in that box.

And worse, they’ve heard those vague, fluffy marketing messages a thousand times, so they’re probably just going to tune you out. If everyone claims they have the best customer service, why should they believe it from you?

Brand Promises: What’s Actually in the Box?

A strong brand promise opens the lid and shows people exactly what they’re going to get. It should be:

• Easy to say

• Easy to remember

• Compelling to your most profitable customers

• Measurable and provable

Here are a few examples:

• “We respond to every inquiry within 2 hours, even after hours.”

• “If we’re not on time, your service call is free.”

• “We offer upfront pricing and never upsell once we’re on site.”

• “We make your brand look as good as your work.”

Now compare that to:

• ✔ “Great customer service”

• ✔ “Family-owned and operated”

• ✔ “We care about our clients”

Which one would you trust?

Show, Don’t Tell

Your marketing gets better results when you clearly communicate what your best customers can count on your for – especially if it’s something they wouldn’t expect from your competitors.

Ask yourself:

What’s one thing our best customers love about us, that no one else is saying out loud?

If you can make a couple of meaningful, specific promises and use your marketing to show that you take them seriously, you’ll find more people who are willing to listen to what you’ve got to say.

Prove It: Your Key Promise Indicators

Your Key Promise Indicators (KPIs, with credit to Scaling Up for the wordplay) are the evidence that you’re keeping your word. Here’s a quick checklist to make sure your promises have teeth:

1. Are you tracking whether you’re delivering on your promises?

2. Do you have proof (like stats, guarantees, and testimonials)?

3. Can customers experience your promise before they buy?

4. Can your team explain and uphold the promise, every time?

Once you can measure it, prove it, and build a system around it, put that message everywhere. On your website, in your proposals, on the backs of your shirts. Open the box and show people what’s inside.

This Week’s Takeaway

90% of making brand promises isn’t in the words you say. It’s in how you back it up. That takes people, training, systems, and process – not just a clever tagline or some pretty graphics.

But it’s worth it.

Because when you stop relying on fluffy claims and start building trust through clear, specific, provable promises, you stop needing to convince people. They just believe you.

Leave a comment and share your unique brand promise. What can your customers always count on you for?

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Obviously Awesome: By April Dunford

If you’ve ever felt like your product should be flying off the shelves but just isn’t landing with the right people, Obviously Awesome by April Dunford might be worth a look. It’s a practical dive into positioning to help clarify what makes your product valuable and who needs to hear about it, through case studies, anecdotes, and processes you can test out for yourself.

Check it out!

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